My son got injured in school on Mar. 23rd during recess playing football, I just received an invoice from the hospital for $912.
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
My son got injured in school on Mar. 23rd during recess playing football, I just received an invoice from the hospital for $912.
I don’t believe that I should be held accountable nor resposible to pay the invoice as he was in school, in an educational environment. My son ended up with a swollen black and blue eye, two cuts one below and above the right eye, he was vomitting since I picked him up from school, he suffered a minor concussion, etc.
Asked on April 24, 2009 under Insurance Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
Look, there are a series of issues, but the first one is whether you would have wanted your son taken to the hospital at all. Of course you would have. Well, someone has to pay the hospital and doctors.
In terms of society's allocation of the costs of such care resulting from ordinary accidents there are 3 basic choices.
- the school pays the costs.
- the parents (and their insurance carrier) pay such costs.
- government pays all costs and everyone gets free medical care.
Unless the school was negligent, why should it have to pay for your son's care? Football is inherently dangerous and people get hurt. If the school had to pay for all injuries -- even those it is blameless for -- it would stop all football, and indeed, all sports.
If the school MADE him play football against your wishes, that would be a different story. My sense is you had to consent to his playing and if so probably expressly waived all rights against the school for injuries sustained in ordinary course of activities unless state law already waives such liability. If the school was reckless or grossly negligent that might be another story and in such a case you and your son may have a claim against the school.
In most states you have to pay. Here if you have health insurance I am sure it will pay the bill, less any deductible.
We're not yet at a point where government pays all costs and health case is free for everyone.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.